I had always wanted to go to Thailand. An early childhood memory of waiting patiently outside Government House in Brisbane to see the arrival of the Thai monarchs Queen Sirikit and King Phumiphol resonated with me over the years. I recall how exotic they looked in their finery and how different were they to the English Queen and her consort.
When my daughter decided to live and work in Thailand I enjoyed hearing of her daily life in the beach town south of Bangkok. She spoke of a gentle people who loved life and were happy to embrace a farang (foreigner) particularly when she loved their food and took pains to learn their language. Under this new regime of eating healthy Thai food and walking everywhere our daughter became very lithe and fit. Working at the local university she would ride a sawngthaew (covered ute where passengers sit on the back on benches) to the entrance and then hop on the back of a bike to be ferried to her place of work.
A trip was planned to visit my daughter in her term break and I excitedly packed light luggage. With the weather being so hot and steamy there, I was going to stick to light cotton slacks and tops. I arrived in Bangkok late at night and after the usual formalities walked out of the Customs area to see my daughter's welcoming smile. She guided me past several taxis before she approved of one with a meter and spoke to the driver in a few words of Thai. From then on we were treated like locals and more importantly the fare was very reasonable.
The sights and sounds of Bangkok were amazing. What first struck me were the wide streets and the traffic. We think Brisbane drivers are hair raising but Bangkok drivers take the cake. They don't concern themselves with staying in their lanes and think nothing of monopolising the ones on either side if that suits them. The highway leading out of Bangkok towards my daughter's home town would leave for dead some of those in Australia, and yetThailand is a developing country.
A couple of hours later and we were pulling up outside the beachside hotel. I was pleasantly surprised by the hotel, not huge and glamorous like some in Bangkok but having a uniqueness of its own. The room was cool and inviting with french doors leading to a small balcony. I immediately walked outside to breathe in the atmosphere of this colourful town. My daughter warned not to leave the windows open in case a local monkey decided to pay us a visit.
We planned our next few days which involved exploring the town and visiting her University. I was amazed the next morning to take a walk through some of the streets towards a little restaurant for breakfast. The streets were unpaved, quite dirty and a little confronting to my Western eye. My daughter walked confidently alongside pointing out interesting sights. The "restaurant" was really more like a side road stall and quite basic. It was al fresco dining and my eye caught the modern coffee machine. We drank amazing coffee and I was told the owner learned the art when he was in Europe. The owners were delightful people and we enjoyed a typical Thai breakfast of kok (rice porridge topped with a raw egg).
Thai people love karaoke and the small bar at our hotel had a pianist who I'm sure knew every popular song ever written. As we sat sipping our cocktails I saw that we were the only farangs. We listened to a wide variety of untrained voices whose owners were not the least embarrassed but sang loudly. The audience clapped wildly and were all so friendly and welcoming to us and wanted us to get up and sing as well. I managed to convey to them that listening to me sing would not be a pleasant experience.
One of the highlights of my trip was a visit to Kanchanaburi to see the bridge on the River Kwai and Hellfire Pass. We stayed at a traditional Thai guesthouse on the river. I love the beds which are on a raised platform inches off the floor with beautiful Thai silk coverings. Everything is pristine and I feel so comfortable in this lovely place. At breakfast one morning the owner's son brings us pod fruit he has just collected beside the river. It is definitely a place to soothe the spirit and I wished I could spend longer there.
The bridge on the River Kwai invokes a lump in the throat as I look over its simple structure. I start to walk across it remembering the lives that were lost in the building of the original bridge and tears are not far away. When the train arrives on its way to cross the bridge I step to the side of the tracks to wait for it to pass. I imagine the train that once used to wind its way to the Thai Burmese border carrying men and supplies for the Japanese army. Not too far away is Hellfire Pass truly a memorial to all those POW's who died at this sight. As visitors take the long walk down to the Pass there is absolute silence and an almost eerie feeling that allows the imagination to hear the sounds of rock being chiseled.
It was hard to say goodbye not only to my daughter but to this wonderful country and its people. I was so impressed with their work ethic, their graciousness and dignity, truly a suay (beautiful) part of this world.
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